County Extension

The Brunswick County Senior 4-H Horticulture Judging Team of Darby Dawkins, Carlyn Clark, Tori Norris and Camden Clark won first place in the North Carolina statewide horticulture judging competition at North Carolina State University in Raleigh on May 19. Dawkins also accrued the highest individual score.
The Horticulture Judging Competition entailed three components: 1. Judging the quality of horticulture products (plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables); 2. Identification of 100 plants; and 3. A written test on horticultural practices.

Are you itching at the ankles soon after hiking, picnicking or walking on a lawn? You may have chigger bites.
Chiggers found in North Carolina, also known as red bugs, are the immature form of a mite. The bites can cause small, red bumps or welts on the skin and intense itching.
Chiggers occur most frequently in areas of thick vegetation where the animals they normally bite (small mammals, birds, and reptiles) live. Although chiggers are more common in damp, shady areas, they also occur on golf courses or lawns.

From 2006-2011, Brunswick County 4-H’er Elizabeth Mintz has embarked on a journey of hard work and dedication to be a part of the livestock show world. She has raised everything from turkeys, rabbits and dairy goats to beef cows.
Her efforts have led her down the road to success with multiple first -lace, overall grand-champion, and showmanship titles under her belt. She even has the bragging rights to the Cape Fear Fair Expo’s coveted Claude McAllister Fancy Feather Award for the second year in a row.

The grill is fired up and your mouth is ready for a thick juicy hamburger.
When talking food safety, how do you know when it is done? I bet you say: color. When it’s brown, it’s done. Not always.
Ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees to destroy any possible illness causing bacteria in the meat. Some ground meat may prematurely brown before this internal temperature has been reached. One out of every four hamburgers turns brown before it reaches 160 degrees.

By Tom Woods
Master Gardener
A few homeowners have recently asked me about gray powdery stuff showing up in small areas of their lawns. This slime mold on turf looks like burnt wood ashes that have been scattered in small spots on a lawn.
Those of you lucky enough to get a few sporadic showers or who have irrigated lawns may notice these slimy areas.
Hopefully, rain will arrive soon to relieve us of this extended drought. When it does, slime mold may pop up on more lawns.

June is Iced Tea Month. After checking several references, I couldn’t find out who made this declaration or how long it’s been around. But does it matter, especially here the South where iced tea is frequently the beverage of choice? We don’t really need a special month to celebrate this popular beverage.
Statistics show Americans now drink more tea than the British and approximately 85 percent of that is iced tea.
As with many foods and beverages, there are many stories of how iced tea got started.

The world is full of luscious landscapes comprised of the color green. Everywhere we look, from the city streets to the beaches, there is plant life. No matter the situation, plants seem to grow and even to prosper despite the best efforts of people and geography. Yet we are not happy.
If there is an oak in our backyard, we are disappointed if it is small; if there is a rose on our trellis, we are disappointed if it is not covered in blooms; if there is a tomato plant on our patio and it is not covered in bright, red tomatoes, we are disappointed.

Summer is the perfect time to enjoy sizzling culinary experiences. Using the grill and experimenting with fun flavor combinations is a wonderful compliment to days filled with sunshine. Fresh herbs can be a perfect way to season summer meals.

By Tom Woods
Master Gardener
Signs of the severe drought currently gripping our area can be seen in lawns and landscapes throughout southeastern North Carolina. These include stunting, wilting, yellowing or browning leaves, early leaf drop, dead stems and branches, and reduced flower, fruit, and seed production.
How you care for your yard during drought will have a huge effect on how well it recovers once the rain returns. Use the following tips to help your yard survive the drought:

How do we know if the food we are eating is organically grown or not? Typically, claims such as organic and natural on gardening products are, for the most part, not regulated. When a fertilizer package includes these words, it can simply mean that it contains carbon-based matter or some natural ingredients. It does not necessarily show that the product is free from toxic and persistent chemicals or that it is appropriate for an organic garden.